6 thoughts on “International Mother Language Day 2009 concludes International Year of Langauges”

This is just a beginning. Every individual, group, institution, community, and policy making body has to come with respected action plan (short term & long term) with goals to revive and empower all our mother languages

Hi Matiul, You are right. Of course another essential aspect is to implement the plans – one has seen too many cases of plans made that were never put into action. I think we will also need something more on the international level in the near future, such as an International Decade of Languages, to complement and link efforts focused on specific languages, communities, countries or regions.

Although International Mother Language Day is now over, you may be interested in the contribution, made by the World Esperanto Association, to UNESCO’s campaign for the protection of endangered languages.

Thanks, Brian, for this info. It is an excellent illustration of how the role of (and indeed campaigns to promote) an international language can work in tandem with and complement efforts to develop first languages. One is aware of the efforts of the Universal Esperanto Association going back at least a decade to promote both linguistic human rights and an international auxiliary language – see for instance http://www.geocities.com/ueango/ .

I congratulate you on your efforts. I like to be registered for your next Symposium.

I am a linguist, socio-cultual anthropologist. My special intersts are ethnic minorites specifically, Kurds. I have made extensive studies on educational and psychological impacts of linguistic dominance on ethnic minorities.

My on going case study, is about Kurdish communities in northewest ern of Iran. Based on our research, lack of linguistic understanding has deprived kurds from receiving health care and other civil services. This impedement has resulted in unequality of access to priviledges and has fustration Kurdish people.
I am looking forward to having the opportunity to present my research paper at your next symposium.
Sincerely,
Kajal Rahmani Ph.D.